Matchstick Men  (2003)

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Alison Lohman

Director: Ridley Scott

Rating: PG-13

Distributor: Warner Home Video

Release Date: February 24, 2004
Review posted: March 11, 2004

Spoilers: Minor

Reviewed by Dennis Landmann

SYNOPSIS

Roy (Cage), a phobic con artist, and his protégé Frank (Rockwell) are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the con artist's teenage daughter (Lohman) arrives unexpectedly. Thanks to IMDB.

CRITIQUE

One of my favorite films of last year, Ridley Scott's Matchstick Men is a terrific film that presents the con men game in a completely new and refreshing way. Roy Waller is the ultimate agoraphobe, he needs everything to be neat and super clean, he repeats things three times to be sure (opening doors, closing locks), etc. Yet he's a genius at the con game, even working out of an office with Frank Mercer, his partner-in-crime.

When Frank comes up with a lucrative con against Chuck Frechette (Bruce McGill), he and Roy set things in motion for their largest and perhaps most dangerous con yet. Suddenly Roy's fourteen-year-old daughter Angela comes into his life, which at first confuses and questions his lifestyle, but the more time they spend together, and the more they get to know each other, Roy's life eases up a bit and his phobias take a step back, not to mention he feels more alive than ever before. But when things get complicated and turn somewhat ugly after a meeting with Frechette, Roy's motivation goes into seclusion and therefore says goodbye to Angela, a scene that is emotional supported by great acting.

The story goes further from this point and also features a few subplots, such as Roy seeing a psychiatrist who he asks for parental advice and his phobia, as well as his infatuation with a woman at the local supermarket. Yet discussing any more of the plot would be spoiling the film's surprising, memorable and emotional moments.

Adapted from the book by Eric Garcia, the script by brothers Nicholas and Ted Griffin is fantastic. It places a lot of emphasis on character behavior and emotion to support its story, and includes enough subplots to drive the story. Part of the film is strictly character-driven as it focuses on Roy a lot and how he handles his situations. The film doesn't poke fun at his condition or phobias, but Cage gives such a believable and quirky performance that I found myself laughing with him but not at him.

In fact, Cage's performance was overlooked by the Oscars, yet I think the most impressive performance in terms of believability is Alison Lohman's portrayal of Angela; I'd like to think she deserved a supporting actor nomination. Her turning in a fine performance is not surprising, but her ability to look the part definitely is. She and Cage have great chemistry, and the script gives them really good material; a prime example is the con they play on a friendly woman (Beth Grant). Despite being a great choice to play Frank, Sam Rockwell is kind of in the shadows. Yes, the actor does have some good scenes and delivers some amusing lines, and the character is the exact opposite of Ray, but sometimes Frank acts a little too pushy. Nevertheless, Rockwell does a pretty good job.

Aside from great acting, Ridley Scott and cinematographer John Mathieson (Gladiator) capture Los Angeles in a magnificent way, making Matchstick Men look gorgeous and quite moody; the colors look great. Even the most normal of scenes are beautifully staged and photographed, not to mention the nice locations. Editing by Dody Dorn (Memento) is also very good, featuring some quick cuts and a nice montage, as well as keeping the film on a nice pace. I didn't really find any flaws in Matchstick Men. Something could be said about the end, but I find it satisfying, and if viewers pay attention to the specific advice Roy gives to Angela, the twist makes sense yet is surprising nonetheless.

The script deserves kudos for more than several things, but Garcia's book of the same is where the ingenuity of the plot and characters originates. In summation, Ridley Scott turns a smart script into a terrific film and gets believable performances from the main actors. Let's hope there will be more films like Matchstick Men in the future.

THE VIDEO

Warner Bros. presents Matchstick Men in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. What a gorgeous presentation this is. Colors are vibrant and very well-saturated. Definition is outstanding and detail quite sharp. Black levels and dark tones are deep and consistent. The print image is clear and pristine without any problems. I didn't notice any compression artifacts or grain. A terrific transfer with beautiful colors and optimal sharpness.

THE AUDIO

Warner Bros. presents Matchstick Men in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. One would assume this film to be mostly audio-driven, but that's not exactly true. Dialogue reproduction across the front channels is done very well, it comes across with great clarity and is easy to understand. Hans Zimmer's terrific score reaches the soundfield from time to time, and the rear speakers emit sound effects clearly. Positional audio and separation works well, making this a very nice audio presentation. Also available is a French Stereo Surround dub track.

THE EXTRAS

The menu starts off with Tricks of the Trade: Making Matchstick Men, the 71-minute making-of documentary produced by Charles de Lauzirika that covers the film's three stages of production: "Pre-production" deals with the origin of the project, crew meetings, casting, costume fittings for the three main actors, and location scouting; "production" looks at several days of filming with many scenes of on-set footage and interviews; and "post-production" focuses on the film's score by Hans Zimmer, the editing process that reveals the process and shows some deleted scenes, and private and public (test) screenings. This is strictly a making-of piece so don't expect any cast interviews, although I would've liked to see some insight into the film from the point-of-view of the actors. But all in all, this is a very good and highly recommended documentary.

The only other extra is the audio commentary by Ridley Scott, and writer Nicholas Griffin and co-writer/producer Ted Griffin. Scott is recorded separately from the two writers/brothers and he engages in many interesting discussions, such as the script, his filmmaking process, the actors, various aspects of the film, etc. The Griffins begin their session by spoiling the end of the film, but they warn listeners before doing so, and this sets up a discussion on their writing process and various other things. Scott's comments dominate the track, and overall this is a recommended listen.

Actually, the film's theatrical trailer rounds out the extras menu. Are these enough extras, you ask? Yes and no, the documentary is informative and fun to watch, but a separate deleted scenes or interviews section would've been real good.

Warner is releasing a separate DVD edition (Amaray package) that includes the film's soundtrack CD with music by Hans Zimmer. The CD will please any music enthusiast, but especially admirers of Zimmer. In fact, the score for the film is pretty darn cool, but also a bit different from the composer's previous works, yet certain tracks still carry Zimmer's signature tunes. The CD features 22 tracks in total, including  Bobby Darin's "The Good Life" and "Charmaine" by the Mantovani Orchestra. Some of my favorite tracks are "Weird Is Good", "Pygmies!", and "The Banker's Waltz". A great soundtrack to a terrific film.

You can select to view the film with optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. The 116-minute feature is organized into thirty chapters. The disc comes in a snap case, naturally.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Matchstick Men is so good at the things it does, I have absolutely no reservations to highly recommend it. Warner's video/audio presentations are very good, and the extras are pretty informative if too slim. Those who like the film should purchase the disc, and to others I highly recommend a rental.

VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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